The Transient Lake
()
About this ebook
Read more from Luis Senarens
From Zone to Zone: Or, The Wonderful Trip of Frank Reade, Jr., with His Latest Air-Ship Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsFrank Reade, Jr.'s Search for the Silver Whale Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsLost in the Atlantic Valley; Or, Frank Reade, Jr., and His Wonder, the "Dart" Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsFrank Reade, Jr., Fighting the Terror of the Coast Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsFrank Reade and His Steam Horse Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsFrank Reade, Jr., with his new steam horse in the great American desert or, The sandy trail of death Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsThe Transient Lake; or, Frank Reade, Jr.'s Adventures in a Mysterious Country Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsFrom Zone to Zone Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsThe Sunken Isthmus Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsFrank Reade, Jr.'s Search for the Silver Whale: Or, Under the Ocean in the Electric "Dolphin" Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsThe Galleon's Gold; or, Frank Reade, Jr.'s Deep Sea Search Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsFrank Reade Jr.'s Air Wonder, The "Kite"; Or, A Six Weeks' Flight Over the Andes Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsFrank Reade Jr.'s Submarine Boat; or, to the North Pole Under the Ice Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsThe Abandoned Country Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsThe Sunken Isthmus; or, Frank Reade, Jr., in the Yucatan Channel Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsLost in the Atlantic Valley Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsFrank Reade Jr. and His Engine of the Clouds: Or, Chased Around the World in the Sky Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsFrank Reade, Jr., and His Electric Ice Ship; or, Driven Adrift in the Frozen Sky Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsFrank Reade, Jr., with his new steam man in Mexico or, hot work among the greasers Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratings
Related to The Transient Lake
Related ebooks
The Transient Lake; or, Frank Reade, Jr.'s Adventures in a Mysterious Country Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsThe Abandoned Country Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsTravellers' Stories Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsThe Island of Doctor Moreau Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Island of Doctor Moreau Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Kidnapping in the Pacific The Adventures of Boas Ringdon: A long four-part Yarn Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsThe Fiend of the Cooperage (Cryptofiction Classics - Weird Tales of Strange Creatures) Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsErebus: One Ship, Two Epic Voyages, and the Greatest Naval Mystery of All Time Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea Retold For Kids (Beginner Reader Classics) Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Citra: Mermaid Stories Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsOut of the Fog: A Story of the Sea Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5The Island of Doctor Moreau and The War of the Worlds - Two H.G. Wells Classics! - Unabridged Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsThe Island of Doctor Moreau Rating: 1 out of 5 stars1/5The Island of Dr. Moreau and The Invisible Man: A Grotesque Romance- Unabridged: Two H.G. Wells Classics! Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsThe Island of Doctor Moreau - A Science Fiction Classic (Complete Edition) Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsThe Island of Doctor Moreau Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsThe Island of Dr. Moreau Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Pen Pictures, of Eventful Scenes and Struggles of Life Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsClassic Starts®: Treasure Island Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsTHE ISLAND OF DOCTOR MOREAU: A Sci-Fi Classic Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsYouth: A Narrative Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Call Of The South: 1908 Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsLand of Terror Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsThe Most Dangerous Game Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Tickencote Treasure Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsThe Outsider (Golden Deer Classics) Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsIn Touch with Nature: Tales and Sketches from the Life Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsSlavery Days of My Childhood Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsGoing Postal Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5
Literary Fiction For You
The 7 1/2 Deaths of Evelyn Hardcastle Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5A Man Called Ove: A Novel Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Flowers for Algernon Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Covenant of Water (Oprah's Book Club) Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Tender Is the Flesh Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Queen's Gambit Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Cloud Cuckoo Land: A Novel Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5A Confederacy of Dunces Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Master & Margarita Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Prophet Song: A Novel (Booker Prize Winner) Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Catch-22: 50th Anniversary Edition Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Leave the World Behind: A Read with Jenna Pick Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5Pride and Prejudice: Bestsellers and famous Books Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Piranesi Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Anna Karenina: Bestsellers and famous Books Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Demon Copperhead: A Pulitzer Prize Winner Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Little Birds: Erotica Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5The Lagos Wife: A Novel Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Mr. Penumbra's 24-Hour Bookstore: A Novel Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Old Man and the Sea: The Hemingway Library Edition Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Silmarillion Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Only Woman in the Room: A Novel Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5My Grandmother Asked Me to Tell You She's Sorry: A Novel Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Sympathizer: A Novel (Pulitzer Prize for Fiction) Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Poisonwood Bible: A Novel Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5East of Eden (Original Classic Edition) Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Life of Pi: A Novel Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5This Is How It Always Is: A Novel Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5I Who Have Never Known Men Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Handmaid's Tale Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5
Reviews for The Transient Lake
0 ratings0 reviews
Book preview
The Transient Lake - Luis Senarens
Senarens
Table of Contents
CHAPTER I. THE CAPTAIN’S STORY.
CHAPTER II. FRANK MAKES A DECISION.
CHAPTER III. IN THE ANDES.
CHAPTER IV. THE FIGHT WITH THE PUMA.
CHAPTER V. THE CAPTAIN’S DISAPPEARANCE.
CHAPTER VI. THE ANDEAN STORM.
CHAPTER VII. A STARTLING SURPRISE.
CHAPTER VIII. THE ATTACK ON THE AIR-SHIP.
CHAPTER IX. A FUTILE QUEST.
CHAPTER X. A COMPROMISE.
CHAPTER XI. A TREACHEROUS GAME.
CHAPTER XII. THE END OF THE STORY.
CHAPTER I.
THE CAPTAIN’S STORY.
Stranger than the tales of the Arabian Nights—indeed, almost Munchausen-like in its seemingly improbable character is the tale I am about to give you in truth,
said Captain Nicodemus Beere as he hitched up his trowsers and shifted his quid.
Frank Reade, Jr., drew a deep, quick breath and looked keenly at his visitor.
That is a sweeping statement,
he declared; but you are a truthful man, Captain Beere, and of course you mean what you say.
I certainly do,
said the doughty captain in his most positive manner. What is more, I stand ready to furnish undisputed proof of it.
The captain cleared his throat and began his story. But before we follow him through its thread let us take a closer look at him.
It could be seen at a glance that he was a man much out of the ordinary.
In figure he was stout and well built, with fair features and a heavy, full beard. His blue eyes twinkled with honesty but a certain irascibility of temper peculiar to sea-faring men.
For many years he had sailed the seas and weathered many a hard voyage in all quarters of the world. But two years previous he had retired with the purpose of spending the rest of his days in ease and comfort on shore.
He had been a warm friend of Frank Reade, Sr., long since passed away, and when he heard of the success of Frank Reade, Jr., the son of the famous inventor, he conceived the notion of paying him a visit.
Frank Reade, Jr., received him hospitably in his beautiful Readestown home.
My father’s friends are mine,
he declared. I have often heard him speak of you, Captain Beere.
The captain visited the great machine shops of Frank Reade, Jr., and inspected his various inventions. Among them the one which claimed his deepest interest was the new air-ship, the Spectre.
And as he studied and admired it an idea came into his brain. He at once was determined to broach it to the young inventor.
This idea was to be embodied in the tale which he now proposed to give Frank, and with this explanation let us follow him.
Ten years ago,
declared the captain, "I was master of as fine a ship as ever rounded Cape Horn. We were south of Panama and somewhere off the coast of Peru when a storm struck us.
"For four days and nights it roared and howled and bellowed. We were buffeted and driven hither and thither, half the time running before the wind. We could not tell where we were nor what would be the end of it all. It seemed as if we must go to the bottom.
"On the fourth day the climax came. The foremast went by the board and carried the maintop with it. Later the main also went and we were almost dismasted. Moreover, the ship began to make water at a fearful rate.
"However, by working sharp we kept her afloat until the morning of the fifth day, which broke clear and bright. On our weather bow we saw land.
"There was no hope of saving the ship, so we worked her down under a jury rig until we found a good place to beach her. Then we went ashore in a long-boat.
"It was a rough, wild coast, with terrible high cliffs and reaches of sand. Of course we climbed the highest cliff to see what was about us.
"Westward was the sea. North and south the rough shore, but eastward was a mountainous country with fearful mountain passes and gorges. There was something weird and mystic about the whole region. But we knew that it was death from starvation to stay by the shore, so we kept on looking for signs of human settlement.
"Before we knew it we were deep in the heart of the strangest region any of us had ever seen. Every cliff or precipice seemed to have the shape of a fiend or a hobgoblin or an elf. The trees were fantastic in shape, there were hideous plants and snake-like vines. At times we came to sluggish streams and deep pools with strange, black depths, apparently bottomless.
"The animals were of an unknown species. There were birds of a talking species, yet unlike parrots. I cannot half describe to you the wonders of this mysterious country.
"For months we wandered through it. Then we came upon the ruins of a city and all the signs of a former civilization. We also discovered that the mountains were haunted by a race of giants, wild barbarians, out of whose way we took care to keep.
"After a time we came to a mighty inland sea or lake, the farther shore of which was so far distant that we could not see it. By the shores of this we sojourned many days.
"But one morning we arose to view a strange state of affairs. Where a few hours before there had existed a mighty lake, we saw now naught but a deep, rocky and sandy basin.
"The water had disappeared and hills and valleys lay in its place. It was a mighty surprise to us. All sorts of theories were advanced.
"That some subterranean channel had opened and carried the water away looked logical. Or perhaps a chasm or barrier at some far end had given way, and the mighty volume had